


The Iron Grip

by nimmermehr



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Reader-Insert, Tiny bit of Angst, Tony Being Tony, mcu - Freeform, romcom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:14:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22106887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nimmermehr/pseuds/nimmermehr
Summary: In the first part, Tony is trying to woo the reader…without effort. She only gets angry at his over the top efforts.warnings: none, just living with the Avengers and dealing with Tony
Relationships: Tony Stark/Reader
Kudos: 17





	1. Woo You

There was a knock on the window and your co-worker screamed. To give her some credit, you were working on the 27th floor of an office building and there wasn’t a thing like a balcony…or even a window you could actually open.

With a sigh, you looked up from your monitor and at the red and golden figure that was waving a lunch box. Ignoring your now fangirling colleague, you walked over to the elevators, went down to the first floor and marched out through the automatic glass doors.

„You forgot your lunch, (Y/N),“ Tony stated, the mask of his suit gliding up to reveal his grinning face. He was proud of himself and of course, loved the attention he gathered as Iron Man.

„There is something called ‘cafeteria’ in most office blocks. I for sure wouldn’t have starved without the sandwich.“ Your expression was far away from friendly and the billionaire had the audacity to pout.

„I thought, I was doing you a favor, delivering your lunch on your fist day of work.“

„Well, you didn’t. I just wanted to start this job without everybody knowing, I’m related to the Avengers. It was a stupid idea to move in with my brother, I knew it!“ you yelled as your eyes scanned the crowd that slowly formed around the two of you.

„I swear, if I find myself in the paper tomorrow, I’m gonna smash all your Scotch,“ with that, you grabbed the lunch box and headed back into the building.

You’ve come to New York, because you got a job offering so great, you simply couldn’t turn it down. Working for one of the biggest publishing companies was like a dream come true and when your brother Bruce invited you to stay at his spacious flat at the Stark Tower, you happily accepted. After he hulked out for the first time, you haven’t seen him a lot, so this was a wonderful opportunity to regain the close bond you once shared.

Since the day you moved in, which was about a week ago, Tony was a pain in the ass. He showed you all of his little big boy toys and boast about his wealth. Things, you were neither impressed by nor interested in.

And now, he even managed to ruin your first day. All your colleagues beset you with questions about Iron Man and the Avengers for the rest of the day.

Finally, fed up with them, you raised your voice. „Listen! Yes, I do know them, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be your daily source of gossip. I won’t ask for autographs or dates or steal underwear for you. To the one who asked for the latter, please never talk to me again! I’m here to do my job, so please leave me alone with any of that shit. If you want to talk to me about books, movies or work…you’re very welcome.“

You hadn’t noticed, your boss was silently standing behind you, until he patted your shoulder. „Well done, Miss (Y/LN),“ he whispered, before turning his attention to the crowd. „You heard her. Please accept her request and focus on all the talented authors we have the chance to publish. If I find out, one of you is talking to the papers, I won’t hesitate to fire his or her sorry ass for that! We paid a damn lot of money, to get her here and we won’t risk her running away.“

Suddenly, everybody was back to their desks and typing furiously away on their keyboards.

„Thank you. I’m sorry, I caused trouble,“ you apologized to your boss.

„I expected something like this, after reading your brother’s name in your file. They’ll get over it,“ he shrugged.

Back at the Stark Tower, you headed straight to your bedroom, ignoring your waiting brother and throwing yourself at your giant bed. This was not how you expected your fist day to turn out.

„Jarvis!“ you called the AI with a muffled voice. „Yes, Miss (Y/N)?“ The response came immediately.

„Warn Tony not to come close to this room for the next few days.“

„I will tell Mr. Stark, but I highly doubt, he will listen to you.“

Of course, the AI was right. Barely an hour later, you had just managed to shower and change into some comfy clothes, Tony’s voice boomed through Bruce’s apartment.

„Bruce! (Y/N)! Dinner is ready. I thought we might have a little get together on the roof-deck to celebrate (Y/N)’s first day. I expect you to be there in ten.“

Groaning, you carefully banged your head against the nearest wall. It wasn’t that you didn’t like Clint, Natasha, Steve, Bucky, Thor or Loki. You even liked Tony, but he was alway so over the top, you couldn’t get a grip on him.

There was a careful knock on your door and a moment later, Bruce stuck his head in. „Come on, (Y/NN)! We should go up. The others will be waiting and maybe you’ll get the chance to drown Tony in his own pool.“

Dinner was actually pretty nice. Tony had set up a big grill and there was a large selection of meat and vegetables to throw on the fire. You chatted with Nat and Steve about your job, the co-workers and how you liked the city. Loki asked you about your favorite books, Clint offered to go with you to the Met at the weekend and Thor was very interested about stories from your average childhood on earth.

After dinner, you sat in the sinking sun’s light, enjoying the company, sipping on a beer and listening to the soft music from the speakers. To you, it was perfect.

But of course, the man of iron, as Thor called him, couldn’t accept a simple get together. Suddenly the music grew incredibly loud and a bunch of people you’ve never seen before flooded the deck. Five minutes later, all relaxation was gone as you found yourself in a large impromptu happening.

Women is very short dresses were dancing sinfully and throwing themselves at Tony, who looked at you with a proud smirk.

Shaking your head, you excused yourself and went to get back to your room, Natasha hot on your heels. She convinced you, to have a last drink in her living room and soon, the two of you sat on a black leather sofa.

„Is he really always like this?“ you asked the red head.

„After he broke up with Pepper, he was like this 24/7, but after a while, he calmed down and began to spend more time with us, really talking. You know, your brother is his best friend, you should probably ask him, but I think…he might like you.“ At you quizzical expression, she laughed and continued, „like having a crush on you. And this is his way to try to woo you.“

Hiding your face in your hands, you shook your head in disbelief. „First, I can’t imagine Tony having a crush on me. I’m not like the women he is usually around and second, if he is trying to 'woo’ me, which I doubt, he’s doing an awful job.“

The assassine just smirked at you knowingly.

While you finally went to bed, a very drunk Tony Stark was hanging on your brother’s arm. „I thought she would be thankful, when I brought her the lunch, she forgot this morning. But she yelled at me! And I’m throwing this party as a welcome for her and she just left,“ he whined.

Bruce was torn between comforting his buddy and smacking him up the head for being an idiot.

„Have you ever thought about turning the whole thing a notch down?“ he asked carefully.

„Why would I? Women love the whole billionaire, philanthropist, playboy thing,“ he whisper yelled, earning cheers from the attention seeking women around him.

„(Y/N) is not like the party girls on the hunt for a sugar daddy. She likes flowers and rock music and books and a day at the stadium, watching a game.“ Bruce tried to give Iron Man some not so subtle hints, knowing Tony was a good guy at heart. Sadly, the fuzzy brain of his friend was not able to process the words of wisdom.

„I can do flowers!“ he suddenly straightened up, walking inside and talking into his mobile.

When you came home from work on Friday, you were hit with a heavy and sweet smell as you stepped out of the elevator on your floor. Rounding the corner to the living room, you were faced with hundreds of flowers. Tulips, Roses, Daisies, Lent lilies, Gerbera…your eyes went over the vases filled with colorful bouquets, covering every surface in the room.

„What the fuck?!?!“ you breathed out, walking further into the room, that smelled like a giant greenhouse. A white envelop was placed in a giant arrangement of orchids, your name on it.

Inside was a note with to tickets attached to it.

„Please accept my apologies for the ruined welcome-party. Do me the favor and go with me to the game on Sunday. The tickets are for a VIP booth, so you don’t have to sit in the cold. Xo Tony.“

While you tried to decide if you should laugh or cry, you heard the elevator’s doors open, footsteps coming down the hall and Clint’s voice behind you, shaking with laughter. „Whoa, somebody saw 'Bed of Roses’ one time too often,“ he cracked.

This was your turning point.

„JARVIS!“ you yelled, „Where is Tony?“

„Mr. Stark is currently in the library on the top floor,“ the smooth voice of the AI answered.

Not wanting to wait for the elevator, you stormed up the stairs, huffing and puffing.

Throwing the door to the library open with a loud bang, you screamed for Tony, not knowing where exactly he was in the spacious room, but wanting him to hear you.

„(Y/N)?“ his voice came from behind a shelf and you followed it until you stood in front of his armchair.

„This has to stop! Now! I can’t stand it anymore!“ you spat, his face showing a quizzical expression, his deep brown eyes wide.

„First, you embarrass me in front of my colleagues, then you bring up skanks to my welcome BBQ and now you make fun of me by turning mine and Bruce’s apartment into a flower’s market! It’s enough! And don’t get me started on the football tickets. You think it’s funny to invite me to one of the things I really want to see and then lock me away from it in a fucking cheese dome?“ You were rambling in your anger, but you didn’t care.

„And I was dumb enough to consider Nat’s idea of you liking me! God, I hope you get a really good laugh out of it, because it won’t for sure happen again!“ You stood there, looming over the famous man, rage pouring out of you with every word.

„You are either evil or a fucking idiot! Whatever it is, stop it!“ you demanded, turning on the spot to leave.

A warm hand gripped your wrist, keeping you from storming away.

„(Y/N), I’m sorry.“ Tony’s voice didn’t sound like him. It was small and pleading. „I know, I fucked it up at the BBQ and it wasn’t my best idea to show up as Iron Man at your office, but I was earnest in my apology. Bruce said, you liked flowers.“

„Yes, I do. But you made a farce out of it. I can’t deal with it. It’s all too much!“ You stood there, trying to wriggle your hand free, your face still red in anger.

„I’m sorry. I really am. Nat was right…I,“ he was interrupted by an alarm going off.

„This is an emergency! All Avengers have to appear at the roof to be collected by the carrier. Fury detected Hydra-actions in the South of Asia. All Avengers are now on duty!“ Jarvis’ voice was flat and commanding, giving instructions.

All rage was forgotten and you hugged Tony, who was already calling for his suit. „Be careful and keep my brother safe!“ you whispered into his chest. He lifted you chin with the metal fingers of his suit, bringing his lips down at yours for a brief kiss, before the mask was covering his face.

„I promise. And I do like you…a lot.“

You sat in the empty Stark Tower, arranging the endless amount of flowers in all of the Avengers’ flats, going over Tony’s words over and over in your head.

Maybe, it was true. You promised yourself and every God who might listen to you to find out as soon as they got back.

Nobody ever talked about the down parts of being related to them. They just wanted to hear about the fun and the glory, but sitting here on your own, not knowing if they all would return was horrible.

You strolled around, eating Thor’s Pop Tarts, filling pink glitter into Clint’s conditioner, pulling out all the book marks out of Loki’s reading and asking Jarvis every five minutes for updates.

48 hours after the heli carrier collected your friends, you sat on the roof deck, sipping one of Tony’s expensive whiskeys, the AI connected you with your brother.

„(Y/NN),“ he sounded exhausted.

„Bruce! Are you okay?“ you asked, voice thick with fear.

„I am and so are the others…except for Tony,“ he paused, making you take in a sharp breath. „He…I don’t know what hit him, but he threw himself in the way of a bullet that was meant for me.“

A stroke of guilt hit you. You’ve asked him to keep your brother safe and apparently, he listened to you this time.

„Is he alive? Where is he?“ you almost screamed.

„He got hit…hard. He’s in a artificial coma on his way to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s hospital. We’ll find out if he’s going to make it withing the next three days.“

The breath was knocked from your lungs and you felt dizzy. Yes, your brother was safe, but what would happen to the man, who kept his promise?

Suddenly, you felt tears streaming down your face and you thought about a world without Tony Stark.

„(Y/NN), are you still there?“ your brother’s voice came over the speakers.

„Yes,“ your whispered. „Can I see him?“

„Happy is waiting for you. We are all going to the hospital. I’ll see you there.“


	2. Scare You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony is currently at the hospital and you have no idea if he will come out of this alive. To help yourself, you start to read to him, because you don’t know what to say anymore.

You were in no state of driving, so you were quite relieved to find Happy waiting for you downstairs as promised.

During the drive to the hospital, the two of you didn’t speak. While your brain was throwing different varieties of worst case scenarios at you, the driver sent you worried glances through the rear view mirror.

What if Tony didn’t make it? If his heart would stop beating before you could see him and hold his hand, you’d never forgive yourself. It was your fault, that he got hurt in the first place. And how the fuck did he get shot? Wasn’t his iron suit usually bulletproof?

Bruce was standing by the doors of the hospital when you arrived and you threw yourself into your brother’s arms, fresh tears falling from your eyes and into his shirt.

“Shhh, (Y/N). It’s not your fault,” Bruce hummed while he stroked your back, fully knowing what was going through your mind.

“We were already on our way back to the heli carrier and Tony had his suit partly removed to check the damage, when a Hydra agent caught us off guard. Looks like the bullet hit his right lung before it got stuck close to his spine. He’s in the op at the moment. Apparently, it’s difficult to remove th projectile without damaging any nerves permanently. There is a not so small chance, he might never be able to walk again.

At his report, you sobbed harder allowing yourself to let go for a few minutes.

After a while, you fought to get your body and mind under control again and finally stepped away from your brother, wiping your face.

Your voice still didn’t sound like your own after all the crying, but at least it didn’t break when you spoke. “Let’s get inside. The rest should not worry about me…it’s hard enough for them, to have a team member with an uncertain fate.”

On the second floor, all the members of the Avengers were waiting for news. Nat and Clint sat close together on two chairs, faces unreadable. Steve and Thor were leaning against a wall, talking quietly and Loki was sitting on the ground, back against the wall, a few feet away from the rest of the group. When he spotted you, he got up and wrapped you in one of his rare hugs.

His cool touch was soothing and you didn’t feel the urge to break out in tears again. Maybe he used his magic, but you didn’t care. It was just nice to have someone to lean on, knowing your brother had a hard time himself. Tony was not only his lab partner, but also his best friend, you reminded yourself as you saw Thor put a hand on your brother’s shoulder in support.

Hours went by without a word from the doctors. You sat next to Loki on the floor, your head on his shoulder, dozing on and off, but sitting upright whenever you heard footsteps coming down the hall.

It was already dark outside, when finally, a white dressed man stopped at your group, clearing his throat.

“We would usually only inform family members, but…” he began, taking a step back at Steve’s angry expression.

“Let’s just pretend, you are his family.” he sighed.

“We are!” all of you suddenly said in unison. “Just tell us the important facts, we don’t need the details, at least not right now,” Bruce calmly demanded.

“We removed the bullet. Mr. Stark is still unconscious and we don’t know how long it will take for him to wake up. There are swellings. We have to wait until we can see if there is any permanent damage to his spine. Right now, we can only wait and hope for the best. To his luck, he is in good shape and has a strong…uhm heart.”

“Can we see him?” you asked, needing to see him breathing with your own eyes or else, your horrible visions would haunt you the whole night.

Before the doctor could shake his head, Natasha chimed in. “Please! At least one of us. If only for a minute. He should know we are there and that he is not alone. (Y/N) here is probably the most sensible one. Let her see him! We will trust her word and not bother you until tomorrow.”

Eying you, the doctor finally gave a short not and gestured you to follow him.

The sight of Tony almost broke your heart and you had a hard time to keep yourself together. Carefully, you stepped to the side of his bed, making sure to not touch any of the tubes that came out of his body. Taking his right hand in yours, you caressed the dry skin gently, whispering words of encouragement.

A few minutes later, the doctor touched your shoulder softly and pointed at his watch. It was time for you to leave. With a last squeeze, you let go of Tony’s hand and returned to the waiting Avengers.

A single tear escaped your eye and you hastily brushed it away. There was time for crying later, but now, you had to reassure them, that the man of iron was still alive.

Back at Stark Tower, none of you wanted to go to bed, so you decided to camp in the big living room on the top floor, bringing up pillows and blankets.

When you woke up the next day, it was way past your alarm time and you cursed, remembering you should be at work by now.

Untangling yourself from the blankets and your brother, you shared a sofa with, you searched for your mobile, as JARVIS interrupted you.

“Miss (Y/N), I took the liberty to call your boss and inform him that you wouldn’t work for the next couple of days. He already heard what had happened and told me to let you know, you are free to stay at home as long as it would take and to call him if there is anything he could do for you.”

“Thank you, JARVIS. That was very nice of you.” you replied, relieved that you didn’t have to enroll the whole story right now to someone.

Because you were the only one up, you decided to make coffee and prepare breakfast for all of you. You couldn’t just sit around and wait, so cooking would give you something to do.

The smell of bacon and coffee caused Steve and Bruce to make their way to the kitchen. Silently, they took a seat at the counter and watched you, flipping pancakes with a quick move of your wrist.

The next one to find you was Natasha, who took out plates, mugs and silverware. None of you were speaking. It was usually Tony, who broke the silence with a funny remark or just some childish noises.

The asgardian brothers and Clint were the last ones to join you, just when you began to fill the plates.

“So, you think, we should go back to the hospital?” you asked no one in particular.

“No. At least not all of us,” Steve answered after a while. “I have to go to S.H.I.E.L.D. and do the paperwork for our mission. Maybe Nat could help me?”

At her nod, Steve smiled at her briefly.

“Let’s drop the siblings off at the hospital and then drive right to the headquarters,” the red head suggested.

You exchanged a look with Bruce, who voiced his approval. “If you think it should be us, we’d like to have a lift.”

“Just give me ten minutes,” you asked, before running down to your shared flat. You changed into fresh clothes, grabbed your purse and a book and were ready, when Nat, Steve and Bruce entered your floor. On a sudden idea, you grabbed one of the many bouquets that decorated the flat, wrapped a wet napkin around the dripping ends and were in the elevator with the other moments later.

At the hospital, you went straight to Tony’s room while Bruce was talking to the nurse.

Tony’s usually tanned face looked almost as pale as the pillow, his head rested on. Sitting down in the chair next to his bed, you took his hand, letting him know, you were there.

“You stupid asshole! How could you get shot?” you whispered. “We couldn’t even finish out talk. Just so you know, I’m still mad at you for doing all those things, but I really want you to get better. Look into your eyes, when I yell at you. And I would so love to go to a game with you, but on my conditions. I already miss arguing with you. And I still can’t believe you like me.”

Looking down at his limp hand, you spoke more to yourself. “Gosh, I wished, I’d kiss you before you left for that fucking mission!”

A cough made you raise your head. Bruce was standing in the door, his face a mixture of amusement and pity.

“So, he finally had the balls to tell you?” he finally asked, walking into the room and dragging a chair to the other side of the bed.

“Kinda,” you confessed. “But we were interrupted before we could really talk about it. I don’t know if he was true or just again making fun of me.”

“I should probably not say this, but because he can’t speak for himself at the moment…”

You rose an eyebrow, urging your brother to go on.

“He told me, he likes you…more than just another one of the group. I think he has some serious feelings for you, but he is Tony Stark. He always goes over the top. I don’t think he knows another way to woo you.”

With a dry laugh, you dropped your head until your forehead rested on Tony’s hand.

“Fuck!” was all you breathed out, trying to wrap your mind around all the different emotions that ran through you. Frustration, anger, despair, adoration, sadness and something you couldn’t put your finger on right now.

After an hour, Bruce offered to get you something to drink from the cafeteria, so you found yourself alone with Tony again.

Because you didn’t know what to say anymore, you began to read your book aloud. It was one of your favorite writers, a forensic anthropologist who wrote brilliant thrillers.

Bruce returned after the second chapter with a thermo full of coffee and some cookies. Nodding at you, to go on with the reading, he sat down again, leaned back and closed his eyes.

At page 100, you stopped to go to the restrooms and see if there were any news from the doctors.

When you returned, Bruce looked at you with a small smile.

“I almost forget how soothing it is to listen to you reading aloud. I remember how you would read Robinson Crusoe to me when I was sick. You were just in second grade, but your reading skills were so damn good. You used to sit at the foot of my bed and read me whatever I wanted. Don’t think I ever thanked you for it.”

You felt your face get soft. It was true, whenever someone got sick, you would turn up and read to them. The moment you learned how to read, books became your passion. You never managed to write something yourself, but you practically inhaled all kinds of stories. That’s how you ended up in your current job.

When it was time for you to leave, you were halfway through the book and promised Tony to come back tomorrow and finish it.

At Stark Tower, you asked JARVIS if there were any books Tony liked. You ended up with a pile of them and you put one in your bag for the next day, before you went to bed, taking another one of Tony’s favs with you. You knew, you couldn’t just fall asleep, so why not learn a bit more about the man behind the iron suit.

For the rest of the week, you’d go to the hospital and read books to the still unconscious Tony. Your voice got hoarse, but you didn’t care. The nurses began to provide you with herb teas, sweeten with honey, to help you.

The stories helped you to keep yourself from breaking, whenever you looked at the sleeping form in the hospital bed. The man who used to be sassy and sarcastic all the time scared you with his weakness and the possibility of loosing him. Burying yourself in the adventures of others helped you to get a few hours of sleep every night. You knew, it was a getaway from the painful reality, but you didn’t care. Whatever would help you to sit by his bed without crying, you’d take without further questions.

The rest of the Avengers showed up, but whenever you offered to stop reading and leave them alone, they would just shake their heads and listen to you for an hour or two.

It was Thursday, when you recognized a change. Tony’s eyes began to move behind his closed eyelids, like he was dreaming.

When you informed the nurse about it, she smiled, telling you it was a good sign. He might wake up soon.

On Saturday, you fell asleep over the book you were currently reading. It was an old fairy tales book, you once got from your grandmother. While reading Snow White, you passed out, like it was you who took a bite of the poisoned apple.

What woke you up, was a light touch to your knee. When your eyes flew open, you found Tony looking at you from hooded eyes, his fingers resting on your knee.

You almost jumped a mile high. “Oh my God! You’re awake! I gonna get the nurse!” you practically yelled, making his face scrunch at the sudden noise.

“Sorry,” you whispered, already standing by his side. Without thinking about it, you leaned down and placed a chaste kiss to his chapped lips. A second later, you were out of the room, screaming for the nurse.


End file.
